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Estimation vs Maths...am I the only one?

• Jimbog1964 8,378 Posts

  Tue, Oct 28 2014 11:42 AM

  IRL a top caddie is way more than the useless imp we have here.  Much technical data will be shared before a shot, as well as psychological backing.

  I use PP, SP and drunk a calculator just maybe. I rely on PP / SP heavily, but even I can usually manage 21' up from 200 yards out with a 10 MPH HW = 217(roughly) in 3 seconds flat on brain addled days, and no calculator being that smart :).  Can't see any difference there to a RL caddie saying this hole plays whatever so use a full or soft whatever.  Putting for example I see PP I see as no different as IRL knowing how long my 10' putt is, and so the same good basic start.

  After that I have few written notes, but use memory ( so mental notes) same as any one, and the fresher that memory (more times recently been there)  the better. 

  My view.

• alosso 21,060 Posts

  Tue, Oct 28 2014 12:15 PM

  Doing excessive calculations of wind and slope and spin effects may be a key to top scores but IMHO it reduces the game to a computer game. I like to transport some of the feel that I have on a real course to this scenery. Therefore, I don't use the SP.

  Having said that, I have no feel about putting strength without my tables, translating distance times green speed divided by scale to putting power in %. Add PP, formerly "Paper pal", now the free WGT item. I salute a TL friend of mine who did and does this freehanded.

  I have to admit that I had a putting calculation in Excel in the first months because I had tremendous metrician's troubles with the different imperial units in elevation measurement. No longer, I can say.

• JFidanza 1,676 Posts

  Tue, Oct 28 2014 12:48 PM

  I have Kat's Cal. I don't open it during games, but I did learn a lot from its abilities. 

  I don't mind a quick 'crunching' of numbers as I play because, other than my other muse - drum notation & polyrhythms, I may never engage my brainpower in math whatsoever. 

  I think that many of us, either math or estimate players, take into account what the 'equation' is on a shot and take a mental note, somewhat, of what was attempted & the results. This is how a sharp shooter may adjust their gun's sights. Then, there may be those who don't.

  The occasion escape & foray into my golf-math world is a nice change to my daily life, which is mostly instinct and spontaneity, at least I like to think so in my head.

• ISH47 1,963 Posts

  Tue, Oct 28 2014 1:50 PM

  PaulTon:

  LOLserver:

  ONLY by estimating the several factors involved; iron properties, length, green speed, altitude, wind & grid in putts.

  So, you do the maths in your head, most folk do.

  I know I do.. too lazy to do anything else..

• hpurey 11,505 Posts

  Tue, Oct 28 2014 2:22 PM

  I've tried calc's and spreadsheets and never do much better than when I play by feel.  Certainly more fun for me anyway to play by feel, much more real golf feel to me.  Me being a golfer before gamer.

   

  However, I do like to use reference points for wedge shots.  I think of it as real life wedge shots, where you imagine a clock face for how far to make your backswing.

  For me, just as in real life, just trying to have repeatable distances on shots around the green. 

  

   

  This golf tip I once seen, seems to produce the most fun...

  

   

   

  I also like the occasional round where I don't use the zoom for aiming.  

• 2DAMFLASHY 1,141 Posts

  Tue, Oct 28 2014 7:03 PM

  i like the feel of my right hand ....but do require the use of a visual aid ery now an then ..:)

  but i ...guesstumate ..many like the left ..

  diff stroke's for diff folks.... duzn't effect my life one bit

   

  peace ... :)_~~

• frappefort 3,994 Posts

  Tue, Oct 28 2014 7:09 PM

  YankeeJim:

  LOLserver:

  I am sure I am not the only one who do not use any math help to play WGT

  Not even close, Eric. I think you'd be surprised at how many "feel" golfers there are. Once you get to know your equipment it becomes effortless. There's a lot to be said for instincts. :-)

    +1     most  time its a good guess  ,or calculated guess for me using the ding .

   

• Richard4168 4,309 Posts

  Tue, Oct 28 2014 7:21 PM

  LOLserver:

  When I play WGT I do not have;

   

  • tape on my screen
  • use of calculators 
  • Putter pal on
  • Shot pal on
  • Notebook
  • use of the avatar movements to calculate the hit distance
  • etc
  • ....nothing to help me to "estimate" my shot than my sense of estimation

  I'd say its called playing by feel.

  When I started playing this game in 2009, it never occurred to me to use a piece of tap over the meter until I read about it in the forums. I tried it and couldn't get used to it so I just played by feel. Shot pal came out and I found I would have to relearn the whole game after four years of playing by feel.

  So I figured out where 50% and 90% was on the meter and my game came around as far as approach shots go. Putting, that's a whole different ball game altogether when playing by feel. It equates to being a guess on aim and speed for the most part.

   

• MichaelStroke 2,066 Posts

  Tue, Oct 28 2014 7:30 PM

  I think my opinion of advanced calculators, third party programs, and similar things are well documented and often invoked in forum lore.

  I'm always a feel player.  If I have a bad round, it means my feel was off and I need to improve.

• LOLserver 3,522 Posts

  Wed, Oct 29 2014 3:06 AM

  I am glad to see people playing by "feeling" rather than mathematics.....a reminder of hitting the ball in real golf?

  This a golf game, a great & unique golf game but to me it is just way too mathematical :-/

  Here is where I am coming from......a 3 CLICK SWING

  

  (Apologies WGT if I am using the old "The Links" swing graphic).

  A 3 click swing where the first click starts the meter swing up, second click stops the meter at desired power and sends back the meter down, third click stops the meter and launches the hit.

  I suppose the most of us know this type of 3 click swing, so nothing new here.

  WGT has a 3 click meter but you only need to be ready to control the last 2 clicks, same as we do not with the regular WGT bar meter.

  What is good about this meter is:

   

  • stops cheaters...until a nerd creates a new cheat to fully control the 3 clicks or whatever necessary to do it. However it will make things very complicated for them due to the several parameters in the swing.
  • makes the game more intuitional / estimating / feeling / realistic in relation to real golf
  • makes the game less mathematical
  • increases the difficulty to get the perfect shot 
  • it makes scores go higher (not necessarily lol, top players will be top players anyways)
  • WGT still can sell its "slow meter" stuff, like balls, equipment properties, etc 

   

  I am certainly missing some swing attributes but hope other players can come with more.

  ________________________________________________________________

  I always think about full, 3/4, half, 1/4 swing when I play WGT, as some mentioned, some pixels less some pixels more to adjust the power of the hit. Certainly wrong if I want to be a great WGT player but that is the way I enjoy WGT.

  Power of the hit is something like moving the aim when mildt/strong wind.....there are not maths when moving the aim, no numbers, you just move it "estimating" how much the wind is going to have effect on the ball fly.

  In the end, I hope WGT gets rid of cheaters who are only destroying the game from within. I see more & more complains about cheating and I see more & more cheaters too.

  If this is worth, I may as well start a thread in a more suitable place in the forums.....or I may simply delete it LOL!

  Eric

  edit; last thing I forgot, smooth avatar movement ONLY after the swing/meter is finished, please. (I know many people and especially top players would like to hang me by saying this...LOL)